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Audio/PodcastBuying time: A medical breakthrough in stroke treatmentWhen a stroke strikes, every minute matters. Science has traditionally approached stroke as a race against time. But rather than racing faster, what if we could instead slow the damage down? Join host Shahni Wellington as she explores groundbreaking research aimed at buying more time for stroke patients, particularly those in rural and regional communities.... -
Video/AnimationAtlantic Health Research Spotlight: Novel Anesthetics for Care in Battlefield and Disaster AreaThe Atlantic’s Health Summit returned to Boston in 2025 for their annual exploration of the urgent issues reshaping the healthcare landscape. The event showcased recent breakthroughs that are redefining medical practices and explored the challenges of scaling innovation and implementing sustainable solutions. Speakers explored early disease detection, novel anesthetics, pain management, AI and drug discovery,... -
Video/Animation20ish Questions with Elliot Chaikof20-ish Questions shows a different side of Wyss Institute faculty, touching on aspects of their personal life, hobbies, interests, as well as their research. This round follows Elliot Chaikof, an Associate Faculty member at the Wyss Institute as well as the Chair of the Department of Surgery & Surgeon-in-Chief at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.... -
Video/AnimationEnhancing Lactation to Improve Infant and Maternal HealthLactation Biologics is developing a long-lasting, self-injectable treatment to help nursing mothers feed their babies naturally, helping them get the best nutrition possible in the face of climate disasters and supply chain disruptions. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationReConstruct – 3D Bioprinted Vascularized Fat Tissues for Breast ReconstructionBreast cancer affects 15% of all women. Current options for breast reconstruction are insufficient and have poor patient outcomes. A research team at the Wyss Institute is addressing this clinical need by fabricating vascularized adipose tissue flaps for therapeutic use. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationReimagine the World – Volume 2 – Diagnostics AcceleratorTwo clinicians collaborating with the Wyss Diagnostics Accelerator (DxA), Lise Johnson and Craig Hersh, as well as two members of the Wyss DxA Industrial Partnership Program, Nell Meosky Luo and Andy Levin, share how they would Reimagine the World and the personal stories that fuel their passion for the work they are doing. Credit: Wyss... -
Video/AnimationFeCILL: Reimagining How We Treat the Sickest PatientsOpportunistic fungal infections usually only affect patients whose immune systems are compromised, but when they do, they are often deadly – the mortality rate for these infections can be as high as 25%. Existing antifungal treatments have high levels of toxicity, and can harm the patient more than they help. Researchers at the Wyss Institute... -
Video/AnimationMetabolic T cell Labeling: simple and effective enhancement of therapeutic T cells with immune-stimulating cytokinesThis animation shows how the surface of patient-derived T cells is metabolically labeled with azido-sugar molecules that then can be used to attach immune-enhancing cytokines with the help of click chemistry. The approach could help expand adoptive T cell therapies to treatment of solid tumors. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationThe Vagina Chip: A New Preclinical Model for Research on Vaginal Epithelium Microbiome InteractionsThe Vagina Chip allows researchers to study a human model of the vaginal microbiome and develop new treatments for bacterial vaginosis and other conditions that threaten women’s health. Credit: Research Square -
Video/AnimationLight-Seq: Light-Directed In Situ Barcoding of BiomoleculesThis animation explains how the Light-Seq technology works to barcode and deep-sequence selected cell populations in tissue samples, and how the team applied it to the analysis of distinct and rare cells in the mouse retina. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Audio/PodcastIlluminating Biological Context with Josie Kishi – Translation by Fifty YearsTechnologies like next-generation sequencing allow us to understand which RNA transcripts and proteins are expressed in biological tissues. However, it’s often equally important to understand how cells or molecules are positioned relative to one another! Whether it be a cell changing its shape, an organelle ramping up a metabolic process, or a DNA molecule traveling... -
Video/AnimationSomaCode: GPS for Cell TherapyJust like zip codes help drivers navigate to specific addresses using a GPS system, the molecular ‘zip codes’ identified via the SomaCode platform can be used to deliver cell therapies to their specific targets in the human body, increasing the therapies’ efficacy and reducing side effects. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/Animation2021 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and NanomedicineDavid R. Walt, a Wyss Core Faculty member, member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Pathology, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor, is the winner of the 2021 Kabiller Prize in Nanoscience and Nanomedicine, the world’s largest monetary award for outstanding achievement in the field of nanotechnology and its... -
Video/AnimationeToehold: an RNA-detecting control element for use in RNA therapeutics, diagnostics and cell therapiesThis animation shows an example of an eToehold that detects and signals the presence of a specific viral RNA in a human cell. After the virus has injected its RNA into a host cell, the RNA acts as a “trigger RNA” by binding to a complementary sequence within the eToehold specifically engineered for its detection.... -
Video/AnimationInnovation Showcase – Tough Gel TechnologyJay Sugarman talks with Benjamin Freedman, PhD. Benjamin is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. He’s on Innovation Showcase to inform viewers about the groundbreaking research he and some of his colleagues have been involved with related to the development of the next generation of medical-grade adhesives,... -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the Coronavirus – Nasal swabsEarly in the COVID-19 pandemic, Nasopharyngeal swabs or nasal swabs, used to collect mucus samples to test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, were in short supply. This created a bottleneck in diagnostics, hampering our ability to control the pandemic. To respond to this need, an interdisciplinary team at the Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School collaborated... -
Video/AnimationInnovation Showcase – Wyss Institute: Wearable Technology with BiosensorsJay Sugarman talks with Peter Nguyen Ph.D., Luis Soenksen, Ph.D., and Nina Donghia–all of whom are associated with the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University. They’re on Innovation Showcase to inform viewers about the groundbreaking research they and their colleagues have been involved with related to the development of wearable technology as... -
Audio/PodcastTalking Biotech: COVID-19 Detection Masks and WearablesCOVID-19 is the spectrum of pathologies caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus. While the pandemic moves well into its second year, the importance of detection in populations cannot be overstated. However, testing methods typically include visiting testing centers, and it is hard to find a test that is both rapid and precise. Wyss Research Scientist Dr.... -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the Coronavirus – COVID-19 detecting face maskUsing freeze-dried cell free reactions and CRISPR-based biosensors, researchers at the Wyss Institute and M.I.T. have created a face mask that can detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus in a wearer’s breath in under 90 minutes. Such a mask would allow medical professionals to quickly identify COVID-19 patients and begin effective treatments. This facemask is a proof-of-concept... -
Video/AnimationWearable Synthetic Biology – Clothing that can detect pathogens and toxinsWhat if we could create clothing that harnesses synthetic biology to detect the wearer’s exposure to toxins and pathogens? A team of researchers at the Wyss Institute and M.I.T. did just that byembedding freeze-dried, synthetic biology-based sensors into flexible materials and textiles. These sensors can detect pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus and toxins such... -
Video/AnimationWyss Institute Brain Targeting ProgramThis animation explains how Wyss Institute researchers and their industry partners aim to identify novel transport targets and shuttle compounds to enable more effective delivery of drugs to the brain. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationA Laser Steering Device for Robot-Assisted SurgeryResponding to an unmet need for a robotic surgical device that is flexible enough to access hard to reach areas of the G.I. tract while causing minimal peripheral tissue damage, Researchers at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have developed a laser steering device that has the potential to improve surgical outcomes for patients. Credit:... -
Video/AnimationAdvancing Science and Technology Innovation By Crossing the Art-Science-Design InterfaceWyss Founding Director Donald E. Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., presented on Advancing Science and Technology Innovation by Crossing the Art-Science-Design Interface at the KAUST Circular Carbon Initiative’s 2021 virtual Winter Enrichment Program. Ingber discussed his path from a serendipitous experience in an undergraduate art class that led to his discovery of how living cells are constructed... -
Video/AnimationOMNIVAX: Infection Vaccine PlatformThis video explains how OMNIVAX – an immuno-material-based vaccine technology can be used to rapidly create injectable vaccines against diverse viral and bacterial pathogens, and how the platform is used by the team to develop a vaccine against recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs) in their lead human application. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the Coronavirus: FDA-Approved Drug Repurposing PipelineWith the goal of rapidly repurposing FDA-approved drugs to treat COVID-19, the Wyss Institute is collaborating with the Frieman Lab at the University of Maryland Medical School and the tenOever Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai to establish a multidisciplinary pipeline that can rapidly predict, test, and validate potential treatments. Credit:... -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the Coronavirus: Face Shields for Frontline Healthcare WorkersThere is a national shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers from the Jennifer Lewis Lab at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Wyss Institute at Harvard University self-assembled into a team manufacturing greatly needed face shields for local hospitals. Credit: Wyss Institute at... -
Video/AnimationBeating Back the CoronavirusWhen the coronavirus pandemic forced Harvard University to ramp down almost all on-site operations, members of the Wyss Institute community refocused their teams, and formed new ones, in order to fight COVID-19 on its multiple fronts. These efforts include building new pieces of personal protective equipment that were delivered to frontline healthcare workers, developing new... -
Video/AnimationCogniXense: Speeding Up Treatments for Rare DiseasesAt the Wyss Institute, we are tackling Rett syndrome, a rare disease that affects 1 out of 9,000 children, by developing a scalable model for neurodevelopmental and cognitive diseases. This model can test drugs to see which will improve memory, learning, and behavior, with the end goal of finding effective therapies. Credit: Wyss Institute at... -
Video/AnimationImproving Canine HealthspanA Wyss Institute technology that can treat multiple age-related diseases is now being developed by Rejuvenate Bio into a treatment for mitral valve disease and other deadly conditions in dogs, with the goal of helping man’s best friend live longer, healthier lives. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationInterrogator: Human Organ-on-ChipsThis video describes the “Interrogator” instrument that can be programmed to culture up to 10 different Organ Chips and sequentially transfer fluids between their vascular channels to mimic normal human blood flow between the different organs of our body. Its integrated microscope enables the continuous monitoring of the tissues’ integrities in the individual organ chips... -
Video/AnimationAAV Capsid EngineeringWyss researchers have created a high-throughput platform to generate an Adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) library containing 200,000 variants, each carrying a distinct mutation in the virus capsid protein. Their analysis identified capsid changes that enhanced “homing” potential to specific organs in mice and virus viability, as well as a new protein hidden in the capsid-encoding... -
Video/AnimationRapid Triage Test for Active Pulmonary TuberculosisThere’s a large unmet need for accurate, fast, and inexpensive diagnostics for active tuberculosis (ATB), which claims the lives over a million people per year. A team of researchers from the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), and several other collaborating institutions have... -
Video/AnimationA Swifter Way Towards 3D-printed Organs20 people die waiting for an organ transplant every day in the US, but lab-grown organs so far lack the cellular density and functions required to make them viable replacements. The new SWIFT method from the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS solves those problems by 3D printing vascular channel networks directly into living tissue constructs,... -
Video/AnimationLighting up proteins with Immuno-SABERThis animation explains how Immuno-SABER uses the Primer Exchange Reaction (PER) to enable the simultaneous visualization of multiple proteins in tissues in different applications. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationSABER-FISH: Enabling the sensitive and multiplexed detection of nucleic acids within thick tissuesThis animation shows how SABER-FISH uses a suite of DNA nanotechnological methods that together enable the sensitive and multiplexed detection of DNA and RNA targets within cells and thick tissues. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationOrigami OrgansA multidisciplinary team of scientists, engineers, and architectural designers are developing Origami Organs that could function like artificial kidneys. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationLiquid-Infused Tympanostomy TubesResearchers at the Wyss Institute have developed next-generation tympanostomy tubes with an innovative material design that significantly reduces biofouling, implant size, need for revision surgeries, and promotes drug delivery into the middle ear. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationKidney Organiods: Flow-Enhanced Vascularization and Maturation In VitroThis video explains how the collaborative project created vascularized kidney organoids and how they advance the field of tissue engineering. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationMulti-joint Personalized Soft Exosuit Breaks New GroundA multidisciplinary team at Harvard’s Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS has developed a mobile multi-joint soft exosuit using an automatic tuning strategy that could reduce fatigue in soldiers, firefighters or other rescue workers. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHumans of the Wyss – Faculty Edition with Katia BertoldiOur new interview series, “Humans of the Wyss – Faculty Edition,” features Wyss Institute faculty members discussing how they think about their work, the influences that help shape them as scientists, and their collaborations at the Wyss Institute and beyond. In the first edition of the series, Lindsay Brownell, Wyss Institute Communications team member, talks... -
Video/AnimationToehold Exchange ProbesThis animation explains how toehold probes consisting of a “probe strand” and a “protector strand” are assembled and how they leverage thermodynamic principles to allow the specific detection of a correct target sequence, or to prevent them from detecting a spurious target sequence that can differ from the correct target sequence by only a single... -
Video/AnimationTough Gel AdhesivesInspired by the mucus secreted by the Dusky Arion slug, researchers at the Wyss Institute have developed a surgical adhesive that can adhere to wet and dynamic surfaces inside the body, including the heart, lung, tendons, cartilage, and bone. Coupled with a novel tough hydrogel, which can undergo huge amounts of deformation without breaking, this... -
Video/AnimationNew Wyss Institute Initiative – 3D Organ EngineeringWyss Institute Core Faculty members Christopher Chen and Jennifer Lewis describe the Wyss Institute’s new initiative focused on organ engineering, which leverages our expertise in biomaterials, tissue engineering, three dimensional biofabrication, and stem cell development. -
Video/AnimationTherapeutic Organ Engineering: Highlights From The 8th Annual Wyss SymposiumThe 8th Annual Wyss International Symposium focused on innovations in therapeutic organ engineering, featuring diverse speakers doing exciting work in 3D organ engineering, materials fabrication, and vascular integration. This video highlights some of the themes discussed in their presentations as well as the advances that are leading to the ultimate goals of developing new approaches... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Cancer Vaccine and Immuno-MaterialsImmunotherapy – treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to help fight disease – has groundbreaking and life-saving implications. In an effort to make immunotherapy more effective, Wyss Institute researchers are developing new immuno-materials, which help modulate immune cells to treat or diagnose disease. In this episode of Disruptive, Dave Mooney, Wyss Core Faculty... -
Video/Animation8th Annual Wyss Institute Symposium: Therapeutic Organ EngineeringScreened just before the symposium opening, this animation artistically connects concepts of therapeutic organ engineering presented during the event. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSoft Exosuit for Post-stroke Gait Re-trainingThis video explains how exosuit technology, developed at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, applied to ankle movements helps patients post-stroke regain a more normal gait. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationWyss Focus: Immuno-MaterialsWyss Core Faculty, Dave Mooney, explains our new Immuno-Materials Focus Area, which adds a new dimension to immunotherapy in that it harnesses materials to make treatments more efficient and effective. These material-based systems are capable of modulating immune cells and releasing them into the body where they can treat diseases. -
Video/AnimationPodocyte Cells: Kidney-on-a-ChipThis video shows a 3-dimensional rendering of the glomerulus-on-a-chip with human stem cell-derived mature podocytes (in green) grown and differentiated in one channel (shown on top) and that extend their processes through the modeled glomerulus basement membrane towards glomerular vascular cells (in magenta) in the parallel running channel (shown on the bottom). Credit: Wyss Institute... -
Audio/PodcastDavid and Mary Mooney: Seeing Is Believing-Therapeutic Cancer VaccinesWyss Core Faculty member David Mooney presents a talk with Mary Mooney, titled Seeing Is Believing: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines. Marshalling a patient’s immune system to recognize and destroy cancerous cells is an exciting strategy to attack cancer, and this talk will explore materials that engage the immune system through science and artistic representation. Mary K.... -
Video/AnimationArtScience Talks @ Le Lab – Seeing Is Believing: Therapeutic Cancer VaccinesWyss Core Faculty member David Mooney presents a talk with Mary Mooney, titled Seeing Is Believing: Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines. Marshaling a patientÍs immune system to recognize and destroy cancerous cells is an exciting strategy to attack cancer, and this talk will explore materials that engage the immune system through science and artistic representation. Mary K.... -
Video/AnimationWyss Study: Memory GenesResearchers at the Wyss Institute and the Personal Genome Project (PGP) are using Lumosity games to evaluate memory functions and response times. The genomes of high performers will be sequenced, with the goal of uncovering the relationship between genetics, memory, attention, and reaction speed. This video featuring George Church, Core Faculty of the Wyss Institute and Professor... -
Video/AnimationProject ABBIEProject ABBIE is inspired by the story of Abbie Benford, who succumbed to complications related to anaphylaxis just eight days before her 16th birthday. The Wyss Institute, in collaboration with Boston Children’s Hospital, is developing a wearable, non-invasive device that could sense anaphylaxis and automatically inject epinephrine in individuals who are unable to do so... -
Audio/PodcastWilliam Shih: Lego-Style Construction of Future Therapeutics From DNAListen to Wyss Core Faculty member William Shih’s lecture on how custom molecular shapes can be designed using DNA building blocks and how these minuscule devices could have a profound impact on fields ranging from molecular biophysics to therapeutics to nano-optics for decades to come. Shih’s lecture is part of the ArtScience lecture series at...
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Video/AnimationSoft Robotic Heart Sleeve: In VitroReplicating heart pressure and contraction in vitro, the soft robotic heart sleeve with actuators arranged around a fluid-filled sac is able to rhythmically contract to each time pump a defined fluid volume into the attached tubing. Credit: Harvard SEAS -
Video/AnimationShear-Thinning Biomaterial: Catheter InjectionThis movie shows the solid state of the shear-thinning biomaterial immediately after release from the catheter into an aqueous solution (00:04). The STB is cohesive and remains as one solid piece throughout the injection process. There is no noticeable dissolution of the STB into the solution, suggesting it is stable immediately after being discharged from... -
Video/Animation3D Printed Heart-on-a-ChipIn this video, learn how Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS researchers have created a 3D-printed heart-on-a-chip that could lead to new customizable devices for short-term and long-term in vitro testing. Credit: Johan U. Lind (Disease Biophysics Group), Alex D. Valentine and Lori K. Sanders (Lewis Lab)/Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSmoking Human Lung Small Airway-on-a-ChipIn this video, Wyss Founding Director Donald Ingber and Technology Development Fellow Kambez Benam explain how the integrated smoking device mimics normal cigarette smoke exposure and how it can impact research into the causes of COPD and into new biomarkers and therapeutics. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationBioprinting: The Kidney’s Proximal TubulesIn this video, see how the Wyss Institute team has advanced bioprinting to the point of being able to fabricate a functional subunit of a kidney. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Mechanotherapeutics – From Drugs to WearablesMechanobiology reveals insights into how the body’s physical forces and mechanics impact development, physiological health, and prevention and treatment of disease. The emerging field of Mechanotherapeutics leverages these insights towards the development of new types of pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, engineered tissues, and wearable therapeutic devices that leverage physical forces or target mechanical signaling pathways... -
Audio/PodcastDisruptive: Fluorescent In Situ SequencingDeveloped at the Wyss, FISSEQ (fluorescent in situ sequencing) is a spatial gene sequencing technology that reads and visualizes the three-dimensional coordinates of RNA and mRNAs – the working copies of genes – within whole cells and tissues. FISSEQ affords insights into biological complexity that until now have not been possible. In this episode of... -
Video/AnimationMechanotherapeutics: From Drugs to WearablesThe Wyss Institute’s 7th annual international symposium focused on advances in the field of Mechanobiology that have resulted in the development of new types of pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, engineered tissues, and wearable therapeutic devices that leverage physical forces or target mechanical signaling pathways as a core part of their mechanism of action. Organized by... -
Video/AnimationDetecting Zika: A platform for rapid, low-cost diagnosticsIn this video, a team of collaborators led by Wyss Core Faculty member James Collins discuss a low-cost, paper-based diagnostic system that they developed for detecting specific strains of the Zika virus, with the goal that it could soon be used in the field to easily screen blood, urine, or saliva samples. Credit: Wyss Institute... -
Video/AnimationPrinting Vascular TissuePrinting vessel vasculature is essential for sustaining functional living tissues. Until now, bioengineers have had difficulty building thick tissues, lacking a method to embed vascular networks. A 3D bioprinting method invented at the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS embeds a grid of vasculature into thick tissue laden with human stem cells and connective matrix. Printed... -
Video/AnimationSmall Airway-on-a-Chip: Modeling COPD and AsthmaDevelopment of new therapeutics for chronic lung diseases have been hindered by the inability to study them in vitro. To address this challenge, Wyss Institute researchers used their Organ-on-a-Chip technology to produce a microfluidic ‘human lung small airway-on-a-chip.’ The device, which is composed a clear rubber material, is lined by living Human lung small airway... -
Video/AnimationDistributed Cell Division CounterGenetically engineered E. coli containing a fluorescing red protein enabled a Wyss Institute and Harvard Medical School team to analyze the population fluctuations of gut microbes by comparing proportion of “marked” to “unmarked” cells. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationPathogen-Extracting Sepsis TherapyThis video explains how sepsis induced by an overload of blood pathogens can be treated with the Wyss Institute’s improved pathogen-extracting, spleen-mimicking device. Blood is flown through a cartridge filled with hollow fibers that are coated with a genetically engineered blood protein inspired by a naturally-occurring human molecule called Mannose Binding Lectin (MBL). MBL is... -
Video/AnimationBioinspired Robotics: Softer, Smarter, SaferThe Bioinspired Robotics platform at HarvardÍs Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering looks into Nature to obtain insights for the development of new robotic components that are smarter, softer, and safer than conventional industrial robots. By looking at natural intelligence, collective behavior, biomechanics, and material properties not found in manmade systems, scientists at the Wyss... -
Audio/PodcastScience, Your Body, And TestingIn 2015 the London Design Museum announced it’s “Design of the Year” award, and for the first time it went to a Medical design. The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University’s “Organs-on-chips” was the overall winner. The chips mimic the functions of human organs for the purpose of medical testing. This broadcast... -
Video/AnimationGastrointestinal Re-ProgrammingIn this animation, see an example of how genetically engineered microbes being developed by researchers at the Wyss Institute could detect and treat a wide range of gastrointestinal illnesses and conditions. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationAntibiotic EfficacyIn this video, Wyss Institute Core Faculty member James Collins and Michael Lobritz explain how antibiotics can have vastly different effects on pathogenic bacteria and suggest potential implications for improving antibiotic treatments in infected patients. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationCircadian TransplantThe first successful transplant of a circadian rhythm into a naturally non-circadian species could lead to precisely timed release of drugs and other innovative therapeutic applications. In this video, gut bacteria (E. coli) exhibit a circadian rhythm after circadian oscillators were transferred from cyanobacteria. The ‘mother cell’ at the top blinks on and off with... -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic GloveThe soft robotic glove under development at the Wyss Institute could one day be an assistive device used for grasping objects, which could help patients suffering from muscular dystrophy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), incomplete spinal cord injury, or other hand impairments to regain some daily independence and control of their environment. This research is partially... -
Video/AnimationCas9: As a Transcriptional ActivatorIn this technical animation, Wyss Institute researchers instruct how they engineered a Cas9 protein to create a powerful and robust tool for activating gene expression. The novel method enables Cas9 to switch a gene from off to on and has the potential to precisely induce on-command expression of any of the countless genes in the... -
Video/AnimationFluid GateIn this video, the fluid-based gating mechanism separates gas and water. The fluid-filled pores system leverages pressurization to control the opening and closing of its liquid gates, making it extremely precise at separating mixed materials. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationHuman Organs-On-ChipsWyss Institute researchers and a multidisciplinary team of collaborators have engineered microchips that recapitulate the microarchitecture and functions of living human organs, including the lung, intestine, kidney, skin, bone marrow and blood-brain barrier. These microchips, called ‘organs-on-chips’, offer a potential alternative to traditional animal testing. Each individual organ-on-chip is composed of a clear flexible polymer... -
Video/AnimationGene Editing Mechanism of CRISPR-Cas9In this animation, learn how CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology can be used to precisely disrupt and modify specific genes. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationDesigning Fusion-Protein TherapiesIn this video, watch the new computational model in action as it simulates the behavior of a fusion-protein drug molecule after the targeting protein has attached to a cell. Developed by Wyss researchers, this model helps design more effective biologic drugs while eliminating drug candidates that are prone to causing side effects. Credit: Harvard’s Wyss... -
Video/AnimationToehold SwitchesIn this animation, Wyss Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Alex Green, Ph.D., the lead author of “Toehold Switches: De-Novo-Designed Regulators of Gene Expression”, narrates a step-by-step guide to the mechanism of the synthetic toehold switch gene regulator. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationProgrammable Paper: Advances in Synthetic BiologyWyss Institute scientists discuss the collaborative environment and team effort that led to two breakthroughs in synthetic biology that can either stand alone as distinct advances – or combine forces to create truly tantalizing potentials in diagnostics and gene therapies. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. -
Video/AnimationBioinspired Blood Repellent CoatingIn this video, Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Core Faculty member Joanna Aizenberg, Staff Scientist Dan Leslie and Postdoctoral Fellow Anna Waterhouse explain how a coating they developed using FDA-approved materials could prevent blood clotting in medical devices without the use of blood thinners. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationCRISPR-Cas9: Gene DrivesThis animation explains how an emerging technology called “gene drives” may be used to potentially spread particular genomic alterations through targeted wild populations over many generations. It uses mosquitoes as an example of a target species – and illustrates how the versatile genome editing tool called CRISPR makes it possible. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard... -
Video/AnimationSoft Robotic ExosuitIn this video, Harvard faculty member Conor Walsh and members of his team explain how the biologically inspired Soft Exosuit targets enhancing the mobility of healthy individuals and restoring the mobility of those with physical disabilities. This research is partially funded by the National Science Foundation. Note: This technology is currently in the research and... -
Audio/PodcastCyborg Microchip MedicineThis edition of Revolutions focuses on Cyborg Microchip Medicine. Dr Don Ingber, Director of the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University is visiting Melbourne University and discussed this revolutionary research with Jon Faine.
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Video/AnimationBioinspired Approach to Sepsis TherapyWyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Senior Staff Scientist Michael Super and Technology Development Fellow Joo Kang explain how they engineered the Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) protein to bind to a wide range of sepsis-causing pathogens and then safely remove the pathogens from the bloodstream using a novel microfluidic spleen-like device. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard... -
Video/AnimationBone Marrow-on-a-ChipWyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, Postdoctoral Fellow Yu-suke Torisawa, and Researcher Catherine Spina explain how and why a they built bone marrow-on-a-chip, and how they got it to act like whole living marrow and manufacture blood cells. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationVirus-inspired DNA NanodevicesWyss Institute Core Faculty member William Shih and Technology Development Fellow Steven Perrault explain why DNA nanodevices need protection inside the body, and how a viral-inspired strategy helps protect them. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTough GelA team at the Wyss Institute is honing a tough, rubbery hydrogel initially developed at Harvards School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The gel is 90 percent water, yet it stretches without breaking to more than 20 times its original length and recoils like rubber, the researchers first reported in Nature in 2012. In fact,... -
Video/AnimationShrinking GelWhen the temperature rises to just below body temperature, this biocompatible gel shrinks dramatically within minutes, bringing tooth-precursor cells (green) closer together. Credit: Basma Hashmi -
Video/AnimationFluorescent in situ SequencingIn this video, George Church, Ph.D., a Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, explains how fluorescent in situ sequencing could lead to new diagnostics that spot the earliest signs of disease, and how it could help reveal how neurons in the brain connect and function. Credit:... -
Video/AnimationBioprinting: Building in Blood VesselsBuilding in blood vessels. Then they addressed a big challenge in tissue engineering: embedding 3D vascular networks. They developed a ‘fugitive’ ink that can easily be printed, then suctioned off to create open microchannels that can then be populated with blood-vessel-lining cells to allow blood to flow. Read more: wyss.harvard.edu/viewpressrelease/141 Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard... -
Video/AnimationBioprinting: Building with Bio-InksBuilding with bio-inks. Using their custom-built printer, the fugitive ink for the vasculature, and other biological inks containing extracellular matrix and human cells, the researchers printed a 3D tissue construct. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationBioprinting: Building Intricate StructuresBuilding intricate structures. The team first designed a custom printer that can precisely co-print multiple materials in 3D to create intricate heterogeneous patterns. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationNew coating turns glass into superglassA transparent new coating makes ordinary glass tough, ultraslippery, and self-cleaning. The coating is based on SLIPS — the world’s slipperiest synthetic substance. Here, a droplet of dyed octane quickly beads up and rolls off a watch glass with the new coating. To learn more, go to Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationTiny 3D-Printed BatteryIn this video, a 3D-printer nozzle narrower than a human hair lays down a specially formulated “ink” layer by layer to build a microbattery’s anode from the ground up. Unlike ink in an office inkjet printer, which comes out as droplets of liquid and wets a piece of paper, these 3D-printer inks are specially formulated... -
Video/AnimationNanoRx: Clot-Busting NanotherapeuticIn this animation, learn how the Wyss Institute clot-busting nanotherapeutic is activated by fluid high shear force – which occurs where blood flows through vessels narrowed by obstruction – to specifically target clots and dissolve them away. By pairing this drug with an intra-arterial device that restores blood flow to complete obstructions, the drug-device combination... -
Video/AnimationNeuroAssessA team at Harvard’s Wyss Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess have developed a computer tablet application that could rapidly and quantitatively assess neuromuscular performance. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationResearchers mimic pulmonary edema in Lung-on-a-ChipThe Wyss Institute’s human breathing lung-on-a-chip, made using human lung and blood vessel cells, acts much like a lung in a human body. A vacuum re-creates the way the lungs physically expand and contract during breathing. As reported in Science Translational Medicine on November 7, 2012, Wyss researchers have now mimicked a human disease –... -
Video/AnimationClot-busting nanotherapeuticWyss Core Faculty member Donald E. Ingber describes the clot-busting nanotherapeutic. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSLIPS‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other fluids, SLIPS technology creates slick, exceptionally repellent and robust self-cleaning... -
Video/AnimationVibrating Mattress: Preventing Infant ApneaWhat if we could prevent infant apnea? Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationMaking Structures with DNA “Building Blocks”Researchers at the Wyss Institute have developed a method for building complex nanostructures out of short synthetic strands of DNA. Called single-stranded tiles (SSTs), these interlocking DNA “building blocks,” akin to Legos, can be programmed to assemble themselves into precisely designed shapes, such as letters and emoticons. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationDNA Nanorobot: Cell-Targeted, Payload-DeliveringThis video describes a cell-targeted, payload-delivering DNA nanorobot developed at the Wyss Institute that can trigger targeted therapeutic responses. This novel technology could potentially seek out cancer cells and cause them to self-destruct. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationIntroduction to Programmable NanoroboticsWhat if we could build programmable nanorobots to attack disease? Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationSLIPS: Keeping Ice AwayWhat if we could design surfaces that prevent ice formation? ‘SLIPS’ technology, inspired by the slippery pitcher plant that repels almost every type of liquid and solid, is a unique approach to coating industrial and medical surfaces that is based on nano/microstructured porous material infused with a lubricating fluid. By locking in water and other... -
Video/AnimationIntroduction to Implantable Cancer VaccineWhat if we could prevent and treat cancer with a simple vaccine? Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationIntroduction to Sepsis DiagnosticWhat if we could diagnose sepsis in just hours, not days? Wyss Institute researchers discuss their approach to a rapid sepsis diagnostic. Credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University -
Video/AnimationIntroduction to Organs-on-a-ChipWhat if we could test drugs without animal models? Wyss Institute researchers and a multidisciplinary team of collaborators have engineered microchips that recapitulate the microarchitecture and functions of living human organs, including the lung, intestine, kidney, skin, bone marrow and blood-brain barrier. These microchips, called ‘organs-on-chips’, offer a potential alternative to traditional animal testing. Each...